Tony's Diary Package — page 997

C/DDID/NCIRD/OD) verri (CDC/OD/OCS) Booster Roos, Jason (OS/ASPR/H-CORE) <Jason.Roos@hhs.gov>; Mahon, Barbara (CDC/DDID/NCIRD/OD) <bdm3@cdc.gov>; Goldstein, Robert (CDC/OD) <qyd2@cdc.gov>; Berger, Sherri (CDC/OD/OCS) <sob8@cdc.gov>; Marston, Hilary (FDA/OC) <Hilary.Marston@fda.hhs.gov> Subject: RE: Confidential - Next Steps on Expanding Eligibility for Additional Booster Team: I know that we are all struggling with this and trying to get it right, but I really have a problem with the 4/8/12 message. It is not that it is incorrect from a medical and/or immunological standpoint. It is that it will it be very confusing. I know that we are trying to save lives by getting people vaccinated and boosted; however, for the overwhelming most part, the people who are going to get vaccinated (particularly the elderly) are already vaccinated and I am not sure how much we are going to move the needle in getting the "unboosted" to get boosted when we are simultaneously saying that in 5 weeks we will have a much better and more specific vaccine. That is an inherently confusing message that would be counterproductive. Right now if we were three months away or even two months away from a variant specific boost I could see making a big push to get people boosted now. However, starting with Monday we will be five weeks away from a variant specific boost. If we want to have one cogent prevailing message it is that we have a very important boost that will be available in five weeks. The message should be focused on that. Anything that confuses that will work against us. Just my take.... Thanks, Tony Anthony S. Fauci, MD Director National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Building 31, Room 7A-03 31 Center Drive, MSC 2520 National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD 20892-2520 Phone: (301) 496-2263 FAX: (301) 496-4409 E-mail: afauci@niaid.nih.gov